


Knockin' on Heaven's Door.

by gabrielle_the_archangel



Category: Supernatural
Genre: M/M, idek what i'm doing tbh, this is my first fic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-11-14
Updated: 2015-12-22
Packaged: 2018-05-01 15:04:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 16,739
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5210384
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gabrielle_the_archangel/pseuds/gabrielle_the_archangel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"You certainly are... Energetic, Gabriel," Sam said, licking his strawberry ice cream. Castiel's eyes followed Gabriel's gaze and he could only imagine what Gabriel was thinking.<br/>"And is that a good or a bad thing, hm, Sam?" Gabe purred, resting a hand on his elbow and looking at him. Sam flushed once more, opening his mouth.<br/>"Well, it's not a ba-"<br/>"Mh-hm."<br/>Castiel looked behind him, a man standing there. He was tall, not quite as tall as Sam but close to it. He had sandy blonde hair and Cas could tell that his face was dotted with freckles, even from a few feet away. He had a strong jawbone and his face was all around pretty attractive.  </p>
<p>                                           -------------------------------------------------<br/>in which Dean is a very hot mechanic and Castiel owns a bookshop.  Add Dean's daughter to the mix and you have the possibility for a domestic fic.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Ice Cream and the Case of the Stripes.

**Author's Note:**

> Heya, kiddos! This is my first fancfiction, so I'm a little new to this whole thing. Feel free to leave comments and tell me what you think about it. Constructive criticism is welcome. Hopefully I'll upload a chapter every week, though I'm good at procrastinating so I don't know if that'll work. But, I'll try. Thank you for taking a time to read this! 
> 
> Your friend, gabrielle_the_archangel.

The sun burnt devastatingly bright in the sky and Castiel wished that Artemis would come and ride her chariot across it already. He wiped his brow, sitting up a little straighter on the park bench. Today was the grand opening of his small bookshop, Heaven's Gate, and Gabriel had told him it would be a good idea to hold a picnic at the park. At the time, it had sounded like a fantastic idea. Gabriel had come along and they had started setting up at about six in the morning. Now, at three, the sun was raised high in the sky, and they hadn't seen anyone for a couple hours.  
  
"I think the crowd we got this morning is the best you're gonna get, Cassie," Gabriel said, picking a string from his shirt. He had been whining like that for the last hour, and Castiel made a mental note to never let him help with anything like this ever again. "Besides; It's hot."  
  
Cas snorted, putting the book that had been sitting in his lap next to him on the bench. He honestly couldn't argue with that one. After spending the last few hours reading the same Dr. Seuss story to children, Castiel felt like an inanimate puddle. "Must I remind you that this was your idea?"  
  
Gabriel stared at him, narrowing his eyes. "Yeah, but it was only to help your tiny bookshop, dude. You need publicity. With all the kindles and phones these days, book shops are like an endangered species."  
  
"I know. You're right... It's just extremely hot here," Castiel mumbled, standing up and grabbing the few books he had brought with him. Gabriel looked up at him, probably wondering what he was doing and where he was going. "Why don't we go get something to drink and sit in the shade for a little bit?"  
  
Gabriel grinned, standing up and bouncing on his heels. "Or... We could go to that ice cream shop just down the road from your place. I hear they have tons of flavors," Gabriel said, smiling hopefully up at his brother. Castiel scowled but nodded.  
  
"Yes, fine. But only as long as you don't try to make me try any other flavors. I like my vanilla bean, thank you," Castiel said, picking up the cups that were scattered around the picnic table. He threw them away, wiping his forehead with the back of his hand.  
  
"C'mon on, dude. Vanilla is possibly the lamest flavor of ice cream to exist," Gabriel said, looking over at his little brother.  
  
"Yes, well, you're like the lamest brother to exist," Castiel replied, digging into his pocket for his keys. They made their way over to his Lincoln, or as Gabriel called it, "the Pimp Mobile." Castiel, though he knew it wasn't the best car in the world, loved the thing. It had been his first car and it made him proud to know that at twenty-seven he still had his old car.  
  
"Ha! How original. Someone get me some ice because that burns," Gabriel said, waiting for Cas to unlock the car before climbing in the passenger seat.  
  
"You're like a child, I swear," Castiel said, rolling his eyes despite the smile on his face. He started the car up, making his way over to Main Street. He parked in the driveway of his book shop, Gabriel whining about how "the ice cream at the shop wasn't going eat itself."  
  
"God, go on will you? I just have to put these books away really quickly. I'll meet you there, Gabe," Castiel said, sighing and getting out of the car. Gabe nodded, making his way down the street, all the while whistling some song by Asia. Cas unlocked the door to his small bookshop, walking inside and grinning. He had used the money he had had leftover from college, buying the small place instead of an apartment. There was a small living space up above the shop where Cas stayed when he wasn't in the main part of the building, but for the most part he spent his time in the actual shop. He put the two books on the shelf, sighing happily. This was all going to be worth it. He just knew it.  
  
Castiel grabbed his keys, walking out of the front door and locking the place back up. He walked into the ice cream parlor, looking around for his brother. When he couldn't find him he ordered a cone of vanilla bean, before looking around once more, this time sporting him over in a booth, talking to some man who, frankly, looked uncomfortable. Castiel paid for his ice cream and took it from the man, thanking him before making his way to the booth. The man blushed, his long face looking like a tomato.  
  
"... So, yeah, sweetstuff," Gabriel said, turning around and seeing Cas. "Cas! This is Sam. Sweetheart, this is my little brother, Cas."  
  
Cas smiled politely at Sam, feeling the need to apologize for his brother. He should have known better than to let Gabe come here by himself.  
  
"You can sit down if you'd like," Sam said, his face still red. "It's nice to meet you, Cas. Gabe's told me nothing about you, since we only met about five minutes ago."  
  
Castiel laughed. "It's nice to meet you as well, Sam. I'm sorry for my brother. He can be a bit... Intrusive, at times."  
  
"I'm sitting right in front of you, ass," Gabriel said, staring deadpan at his brother. Sam only shrugged.  
  
"You certainly are... Energetic, Gabriel," Sam said, licking his strawberry ice cream. Castiel's eyes followed Gabriel's gaze and he could only imagine what Gabriel was thinking.  
  
"And is that a good or a bad thing, hm, Sam?" Gabe purred, resting a hand on his elbow and looking at him. Sam flushed once more, opening his mouth.  
  
"Well, it's not a ba-"  
  
"Mh-hm."  
  
Castiel looked behind him, a man standing there. He was tall, not quite as tall as Sam but close to it. He had sandy blonde hair and Cas could tell that his face was dotted with freckles, even from a few feet away. He had a strong jawbone and his face was all around pretty attractive.  
  
"Oh, can I help you?" Castiel asked, his gaze still focused on the other man's. The man pointed to the booth and Castiel nodded, suddenly understanding. "Oh, I'm sorry. Here, I'll just-"  
  
"No, no, you don't have to move. Just scoot over," the man said, Castiel nodding. He made room for the man, the man lifting up a little girl and putting her in between them.  
  
"Oh, I'm sorry. My brother and I should probably go," Castiel said softly. He felt terrible, like he was ruining a family meal or something. Gabriel frowned but moved to get up, the other man's voice stopping him.  
  
"No, it's perfectly fine. I just wanna know, because I feel like I've missed something; What are your guys' names again?" The man asked, the little girl looking up at Castiel and smiling sweetly. He smiled back, running a hand through his tousled hair. Gabriel moved to open his mouth but Castiel stopped him, knowing his brother would manage to say something that made them sound terrible.  
  
"You don't know us. I'm Castiel and this-"  
  
"I'm Gabriel. My brother and I had a picnic for his book shop opening and we got hot. Ice cream sounded amazing, especially since we had been there since early this morning. But it turned out that there was something as equally as hot in the shop as the sun," Gabriel said, smirking. Castiel groaned, tipping his head back. Great. Sam only blushed again, the other man looking between Gabe and Sam.  
  
“...Right. Well, my name’s Dean. Nice to meet you, Gabe. Castiel,” Dean said gruffly, looking over at Cas. Cas nodded, smiling back.  
  
“And I’m Mary Ellen,” the little girl said, smiling at Castiel once more. He grinned back, nodding. The little girl had tight, blonde curls, along with some of the greenest eyes Castiel had ever seen. He looked back up at Dean, noticing that the man had the same intensely green eyes.  
  
“Mary Ellen? Why, that’s a gorgeous name,” Castiel said to the little girl, Mary beaming in response. “And I love your pretty pink dress. It makes you look like a princess.”  
  
Dean looked over at Castiel, raising an eyebrow before allowing a small smile to form on his pink lips. “Yeah, well, she is a princess. Though honestly, the only reason she’s wearing that dress right now is because she got oil on her batman costume this morning,” Dean said, looking down at the little girl. Castiel couldn’t help but laugh a little, looking up at Dean.  
  
“Is that so?” he asked, the little girl giggling.  
  
“Daddy was workin’ in the shop earlier and when I hugged him he made me all messy,” Mary Ellen said, her small lips curving upward into a smile. Dean only shook his head, glancing at Mary before looking at Castiel.  
  
“So, you own a bookshop?” he asked, licking his lips softly. Castiel watched intently before realizing that Dean had asked him a question. He quickly nodded, finishing up his cone before wiping his mouth off with a napkin.  
  
“Uh, yeah. It’s called Heaven’s Gate. It’s actually just right up the road.”  
  
Dean seemed to consider this before nodding. “Yeah, I know the place. Huh. I’m not much of a reader, but Mary won’t stop reading. We’ll have to come by and check it out sometime.”  
  
Castiel paused for a minute, weighing his options before he opened his mouth. He could A) Nod politely with a smile and hope to the possible God above that Dean would stop by, B) Give the man his number and offer to let him borrow anything he wanted, or C) Invite him over to his shop as an apology for his brother. The first one was too… Predictable. Too him. He wanted to change that. The second one was a little too upfront, and only someone like Gabriel could be able to deliver that line without sounding like a complete idiot. The last one seemed like the only logical option and he paused before opening his mouth.  
  
“You know, since my brother decided to ruin your lunch date, you could always come to the shop now. I could read a story to you with the voices,” Castiel said, grinning and looking at Mary Ellen. She giggled happily and Castiel paused before looking up at Dean. “I mean, if that’s okay with you, Mr…”  
  
“Winchester. And you can call me Dean, man,” Dean started, looking down at Mary and smiling softly before his gaze returned to Castiel’s, his smile falling. “And sure, why not? We have nothing else going on, right Mary?”  
  
“Great. Uh… Here, why don’t you guys finish up here while I go and clean up the shop? It’s a little messy since I’ve been busy reorganizing everything. It shouldn’t take too long. Let’s say… Ten minutes?”  
  
Dean nodded, standing up and stretching. Castiel pretended not to look when Dean raised his arms and a smooth patch of tawny skin was visible from under his grey t-shirt. “C’mon, Mary. Let’s get some ice cream,” Dean said, picking the little girl up. She grinned, pecking his cheek.  
  
“Thank ‘ya, Mr. Cas- Ti- Casti- Al, Cast…” Mary started, pursing her lips in confusion.  
  
“Cas is fine,” Cas said, grinning softly at the little girl. She shot him a not-so-toothy grin back, her two front teeth missing. Cas couldn’t help but chuckle, catching eyes with Dean, whose lips had managed to turn upright just the slightest.  
  
“Thank you, Mr. Cas,” Mary got out, grinning, proud she had actually gotten his name right. She looked at her father, lips flattening into a frown as she stared at him. “Daddy, whaddya say?”  
  
Dean laughed, apologising to his daughter swiftly. It was the first time Cas had heard Dean laugh and he was definitely not disappointed. His laugh was deep and rich and it sounded like God himself had crafted that laugh and placed it in the man. “Thank you, Cas. It, uh, it means a lot to us,” Dean said before turning to his daughter. “There. ‘Ya happy?”  
  
She nodded before whispering something in his ear. Dean looked at Mary as if she were crazy before shaking his head. She pouted her lip out and Dean only laughed. “Nice try, missy. Your uncle did that when he was younger too, and while it may work on the ladies, it doesn’t work on me.”  
Castiel laughed softly before waving goodbye, heading down to his shop. He leaned against the door of the shop when he got inside, taking a moment to process the previous events. Book fair. Gabriel hitting on some poor tall person at the ice cream shop. Hot tall person coming over and asking Cas for his and his brother’s name. Castiel inviting said hot tall guy to his shop along with the man’s daughter. Saying goodbye to hot tall person and coming here. Remembering everything. Okay, yeah, right. Cas knew he was overreacting, especially since it wasn’t like he and Dean were going on a date, but he couldn’t help but feel a little frazzled. The last person who he had had interest in had been his ex-girlfriend Meg. And while she was fun and outrageously attractive, he had felt a little uncomfortable around her at times, too.  
  
Ten minutes. Right.  
  
He moved around his shop frantically, trying to pick up the stray books that littered the shelves. He heard the doorbell jangle whilst he was putting Paradise Lost back into its correct spot and he turned to look at his visitors.  
  
“Wow,” Dean commented, his green eyes flicking all around the room. Castiel suddenly felt just a tad bit self-conscious. It wasn’t everyday a supermodel-esqe man inspects your bookshop. His insecurities quickly washed away though when he caught a glimpse of little Mary Ellen’s face, her emerald eyes wide in curiosity and amazement.  
  
“It’s soooo big!” She squealed, looking over at her father. Dean nodded, finger-combing her hair. “I wanna read all the books!”  
  
Castiel chuckled, smiling at Dean. “Uh, yeah, it is pretty big, isn’t, Mary?”  
  
“Mhm. The library at school doesn’t have this many books.”  
  
“Yeah, well, I’ve been collecting them for a very long time. Some of them are really old, while some I just got recently."  
  
Dean left Mary’s side long enough to wander off over to one of the shelves, his eyes grazing over the spines of the many books that were home to that specific piece of furniture. “This is a pretty nice place you got here, Cas.”  
  
Castiel smiled up at the man, surprised he had spoken at all. “Thank you, Dean. I decided that owning a bookshop was something that I wanted to try and do, so after college I used the money I had left over and bought this place. She’s not much but she’s home,” Castiel said, running his hand over one of the shelves. Mary raised an eyebrow, looking between Cas and Dean.  
  
“Who’s she?”  
  
Cas laughed, opening his mouth to speak. “I meant it metaphorically.”  
  
“Oh. That’s like when you cross your legs and hum, right? Like this,” Mary said, falling to the ground in one swift motion and crossing her legs. She held her arms up on both sides, starting to hum loudly. Castiel couldn’t help but chuckle and Dean- Well, Dean seemed content. He didn’t give Cas the “I’m-sorry-my-kid-acts-this-way” look. In fact, he laughed, shaking his head a little.  
  
“No, baby girl. That’s meditation. You know how Daddy calls his car Baby? It’s kinda like that, silly goose,” Dean said, ruffling her hair. She nodded, her mouth forming the perfect ‘o’ shape. Castiel grinned at the two of them before remembering why they had come there in the first place.  
  
“Book. Uh, I mean, what book would you like me to read?” Cas asked, turning his attention to little Mary Ellen, who now looked up at him. She pursed her lips in thought (Which was, incredibly adorable) before springing up, dusting off her dress.  
  
“Do ‘ya have the one with the girl who eats the lima beans and gets the makeup all over? And the only way she can get rid of it is to eat lima beans?” Mary asked hopefully. Cas furrowed his brow in confusion before Dean cleared his throat.  
  
“Stripes. The book is called Stripes,” Dean said. Castiel nodded in understanding, making his way over to the children’s section. He bent down, trying to find the book all the while trying to be quick. He didn’t want to make Dean wait there all day just because he couldn’t find the book.  
  
“Daddy, stop lookin’ at Mr. Cas’ butt!” Mary cried, laughing.  
  
“I’m not- Mary Ellen,” Dean mumbled. Cas turned around, the man’s rosy cheeks matching his. Castiel was pretty sure his entire body was red and his cheeks were hot with embarrassment. It was times like these that Cas wished he was witty and smooth like his brother. Gabriel would most likely had said something along the lines of: “What? See anything you want to check out?”  
  
But Castiel wasn’t his brother; Castiel was Castiel. He found the book after looking for a bit longer, running a hand through his dark, raven hair. “Found it!”  
  
Mary cheered and Castiel glanced over at Dean, who looked away. Great. At least he had a reason to change the subject. He led the duo over to a small section of the room. There was a soft, colorful rug in the middle of the section, and there were a couple of bean bags that surrounded the area. Castiel plopped down into an orange one, while Mary Ellen tackled one of the pink ones. Castiel chuckled and watched as Dean sat down in the purple one to the left of Mary, the little girl in between the two men. Castiel’s eyes didn’t leave the spot where Dean was sitting for a while, the man looking down at his hands, most likely hoping they could get out of the place soon.  
Castiel didn’t waste anytime and began reading, the little girl listening intently to him. He used the appropriate voices for the appropriate characters at the appropriate times and Mary’s eyes never stopped gleaming with enjoyment. She groaned when the book was finished, giddly looking over at Castiel.  
  
“‘Nother, Mr. Cas! Read a’nother,” Mary said excitedly, smile wide and toothless.  
  
“Well… I don’t know if your daddy wants to-”  
  
“You read the voices better than Daddy does. Daddy’s really, really, super good at Baby Bear’s voice from the Three ‘lil bears,” Mary said matter-o-factly.  
Castiel raised an eyebrow, grinning a little. “Oh, is he now?”  
  
Mary nodded. “Yeah! Show ‘im, Daddy!”  
  
“No, I don’t think Mr. Cas wants to hear me-”  
  
“Oh, but I really do,” Cas said, his grin never leaving his face. Dean glared at him before shrugging.  
  
“Fine. It’s been done, ‘ya heathens,” Dean muttered before clearing his throat. In a voice that was entirely too high for the man, he mumbled out. “And my porridge is all gone!”  
  
Mary erupted into giggles and Castiel couldn't help but laugh as well. Dean scowled.  
  
“Yeah, laugh it up, you two. C’mon, Cas, let’s hear your Baby Bear voice,” Dean said, smirking as if he had found out what Castiel’s biggest weakness was. Cas shrugged.  
  
“Easy,” Cas said, before pitching his voice higher. “Someone’s sleeping in my bed!”  
  
Mary’s fit of laughter continued as Dean’s face dropped a little and he nodded. “Not too bad, for a rookie.”  
  
Cas clutched his heart as if the words said previously by the green-eyed man had physically hurt him. “Who are you calling rookie? I’ve been at this ever since my little brother was in diapers,” Castiel shot back, smiling proudly. Dean only snorted, checking the his watch for the time. He stood up quickly, mumbling the word ‘shit’ quietly.  
  
“That’s a bad word, Daddy. You hafta put a quarter in the swear jar now,” Mary said, pursing her little lips before adjusting her crooked tiara.  
  
“I know, baby. But we’re gonna be late for your dance lessons if we don’t hurry up,” Dean mumbled, standing her up. “Say goodbye to Mr. Cas, okay?”  
  
Cas smiled softly at her, expecting the little girl to wave or something along the lines of that. Instead, she walked over and hugged Cas, smiling softly. “Goodbye, Mr. Cas. Daddy an’ I ‘ll come back real soon, okay?”  
  
Cas nodded, torn between saying aw and answering in the correct manner.  
  
“Of course, Mary. Come by anytime. The invitation is open to you as well, Dean,” Castiel answered, glancing up at the taller man.  
  
“Yeah. Thank you again, Cas,” Dean said before picking his daughter up. “See you around sometime.”  
  
And with that, the two were gone. Castiel spent the remainder of his day quietly thinking about those green eyes and freckles.


	2. Dancing Queen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two days late isn't bad, huh? 
> 
> I told you I was bad at this whole "Being-responsible-and-keeping-on-top-of-things" thing. But I really am trying. I'm dealing with a lot of stuff right now, mostly ridiculous emotional bullshit that I really don't enjoy, so please forgive me. To everyone reading this: WOOO CHAPTER TWOOOOO.  
> To everyone who is reading this but for some reason haven't read the first chapter: What the heck, man? 
> 
> I hope you guys enjoy this and know that it means so much to me. Please feel free to leave comments about how you feel (Ex. AHHH I LOVE YOU, this is a load of barnacles, i like bananas) but please don't leave anything negative because who needs that kind of shit in their life? 
> 
> Thanks for reading kiddos and enjoy chapter two!

“Why don’t you stop bitching about the guy and go out and find him?” Gabriel asked, spoon of peanut butter hanging haphazardly out of his mouth. His phone vibrated every so often and he would send a quick text before looking back up at Castiel, grinning like an idiot. “I mean, that would beat complaining about him all the time.”  
  
It wasn’t like Castiel hadn’t thought of going out and finding the Winchester man that had blown him away, there were just a couple problems that followed.  
  
1\. He had no idea where to find such a man. Sure, Dean had brought up working as a mechanic somewhere, but it would be weird if Castiel searched every machine shop for the man.  
  
2\. He had no real reason to see him, other than to ask him out and possibly make out with his face.  
  
3.He had no idea if Dean liked guys. Okay, so Mary may have called him out on staring at Castiel’s ass, but that didn’t mean anything, right?  
  
“And how am I supposed to go around doing that, Gabe? I have no idea where he works, I don’t have his phone number, and I don’t know if he’s into guys,” Castiel muttered, feeling utterly hopeless about the whole situation. He carded a hand through his hair before looking at Gabriel’s phone as it violently buzzed. Gabriel reached for it but Castiel got to it first, grimacing when he saw the texter’s I.D.  
  
Sammy(:  
  
Castiel turned to his brother, handing him his phone. “Are you kidding me?”  
  
Gabriel only grinned, shrugging his shoulders nonchalantly.  
  
“Hey, I got my man. Well, I’m in the works of getting my man. Who, by the way, turns out to be a huge nerd,” Gabe said, smiling widely as he replied to the text. “The point is Cas, sure, I could ask him for Dean’s number for you, but what would you do? I’ll tell you what you would do. You would come up with a lame excuse for texting him and then let the conversation die down. If you really want something, you have to go after it.”  
  
Castiel groaned, knowing that his brother was right. Still, he didn’t want to try and force anything between the two of them. Hell, he barely knew the guy. He probably had a wife or a girlfriend or something like that. Someone who was taller, skinnier, more attractive than Cas. Not that Cas found himself to be particularly ugly; It was just that he thought that Dean could do a lot better, considering he looked like he just stepped out of a Calvin Klein ad.  
  
Gabriel looked up at his brother, sighing before sticking the spoon back into the peanut butter jar. “How about this? Why don’t I invite the Winchesters out for some drinks with us? That way you didn’t ask the man yourself but I’m also not doing all the work. And I can have some good old fashion fun with Sammy.”  
  
Gabriel added a wink at the end of the sentence and Castiel thought he might throw up then and there.  
  
“Yeah, that sounds good, Gabe. I would like that very much.”  
  
Gabriel picked up his phone, shooting a text to Sam before grinning. “This is going to be so much fun.”

  
                                                                    ____________________________________________________

 

“There is no way in Hell that I am letting you go out looking like that,” Gabriel commented, looking his brother over. Castiel didn’t see what the big deal was. It wasn’t wrong to wear a pair of black slacks and a white button down to a club. In fact, it was what he normally wore. There wasn’t a day that he didn’t dress to impress.  
  
“Your gay is showing,” Castiel commented, staring his brother down.  
  
“Yeah well, it’s been showing for a while now,” Gabriel shot back before shaking his head once more. “Besides, if it stops you from leaving the house looking like that, then it can stay out.”  
  
Castiel frowned, looking down at his attire. It wasn’t that uncommon to wear dress clothes out. But maybe Gabriel had a point.  
  
“I don’t see what’s so bad about looking nice.”  
  
“You look like you’re going to a funeral,” Gabriel scoffed. “Now, listen: Are you looking to get laid or just talk? Because that’s all you’re going to do in that outfit.”  
  
“Gabriel-”  
  
“Answer the question, Cas.”  
  
“Gettinglaidwouldbenice,” Castiel muttered under his breath, silently cursing his brother in his head. Gabriel grinned triumphantly, just like he had when they were younger and he had gotten the last cookie. Stupid Gabe and his stupid common sense.  
  
“That’s what I thought. Now, we have to do something that will really blow Winchester out of the water. Now, you said he was staring at your ass, right?”  
  
“Well, that’s what his daughter said-”  
  
“Okay, good. Have you ever worn leather pants?”  
  


                                                                           ___________________________________________

  
Castiel was utterly uncomfortable. He was almost positive he looked like a mess from the eighties, but Gabriel had promised him that these would work on Dean. Castiel had only shook his head and agreed to go along with the crazy idea, hoping maybe once Gabriel saw him in them it would make him realize how stupid his idea had been. Castiel stepped out of the small bathroom in Gabriel’s apartment, his brother replying to a text. He looked up at Castiel before grinning and nodding quickly.  
  
“Yes, that’s the look I’m talking about,” Gabriel said, grinning.  
  
“These are terribly uncomfortable,” Castiel commented. Gabriel ignored him, leading his brother over to mirror. “Gabe, I don’t see what the big dea- Oh.”  
  
The pants, though uncomfortable as they may be, looked awesome on him. They hugged the curve of his ass, naturally making it appear bigger and better than before. They made him look good, and he stood up a little taller, a little more confidently.  
  
“See what I mean? Dean’s gonna wanna hop on that ass before-”  
  
“Okay, you can stop there,” Castiel mumbled, still looking at his reflection. He was pretty sure that he wasn’t actually the same person, that someone how he had shapeshifted into the man staring back at him in the mirror. He paused before turning to Gabriel once more. “Now what?”  
  
In the end, Castiel ended up in a Guns ‘n Roses t-shirt, with the addition of the leather pants, of course. Gabriel had messed up the younger Novak’s hair as well, claiming that Dean would like it. He also made Cas wear contacts. Castiel didn’t even think he looked like himself when he looked back in the mirror, which honestly didn’t bother him. He felt… More free to be whoever the hell he wanted to be. Gabriel had ended up sporting a nice pair of jeans and a plain black t-shirt, having wrapped a rainbow bandanna around his head. He had always been out there, so the outfit honestly didn’t surprise Cas.  
  
The drive to the club wasn’t long, but Castiel started feeling anxious the closer and closer they got to it. Gabe had assured Castiel that Dean would be there and though Castiel wanted to see him, he almost wished he wouldn’t. Castiel thought he may throw up and Gabriel looked over at him, raising an eyebrow.  
  
“You gonna be okay, Cas?”  
  
  
“Yes’m.”  
  
“You sure?”  
  
“Yes. I’m just a little nervous, that’s all,” Cas mumbled softly, looking out the window. Gabriel nodded, pulling into the club. It wasn’t big by any means and it was more like a bar, really. Castiel got out once Gabriel had parked, stretching and wringing his hands nervously. He could do this. Yeah. He looked hot and Dean was going to go crazy.  
  
He had this.  
  
“Ready, Cassie?” Gabriel asked. Cas nodded before walking inside with his brother, Gabriel taking charge. He ordered them both a beer before handing the beer to Cas, who took the beer gratefully. He took a large drink of the alcoholic beverage, Gabriel looking around for Sam. He spotted him after a minute and Castiel’s stomach did somersaults. The tall man was wearing a blue plaid shirt and a pair of nice jeans. Gabriel looked him over, licking his lips as they made their way to Sam.  
  
“Sam! Well, aren’t you a sight for sore eyes,” Gabriel said cheekily, taking a sip of his beer. Sam grinned softly, running a hand through his long brown hair.  
  
“Yeah. You look nice too, Gabriel. And, wow, Cas- You look different,” Sam said, eyes widening.  
  
“Yes, well, this is how I actually dress, Sam. That back at the ice cream shop was a disguise.”  
  
Sam laughed heartily, nodding. “Yeah, whatever you say, Agent Novak. Dean’s over there if you guys wanna go say hi. He’s a little lame, so don’t be offended if he doesn’t get up and dance.”  
  
Castiel shrugged softly. “I’m not much of a dancer either.”  
  
“Yeah, but I am. You go say hi to Dean, Cas. Sammy and I are gonna go kill it on the dancefloor,” Gabriel said, giving his brother the “you-better-take-your-chance” look. Castiel nodded nervously, taking a sip of his drink before somehow finding the courage inside himself to make it over to the bar where Dean was sitting. Dean was currently talking to the bartender and Cas was pretty sure he was interrupting something. He thought about leaving before Dean turned to him, a smile toying on his lips.  
  
“Cas, right?” Dean asked, turning to him. He took a sip of his beer, those pretty pink lips wrapping around the bottle. Castiel could only imagine what else those lips could do. “Another for me and one for my friend.”  
  
“That’s my name. How’s Mary Ellen?” Castiel asked Dean, smiling softly as a beer was set down in front of him. He finished his first one quickly before starting on the second one. Dean probably thought he was an alcoholic or something, but Castiel needed to loosen up and alcohol had that magical way of making him.  
  
“She’s good. She’s at home with her Aunt Jo,” Dean mumbled softly, looking Cas up and down. His green eyes practically bore holes into Castiel’s skin and he felt like he was put under a spotlight. He didn’t say anything and Castiel’s hopes deflated some. He took another drink from his bottle, sighing. “G&R, huh? What’s your favorite song?”  
  
“November Rain.”  
  
“Mhm, that’s a good one. As cliche as it sounds, I like Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door,” Dean answered, smiling and and swallowing another drink of beer. Cas nodded, really thinking about what he was going to say next.  
  
“Yeah, well, cliches aren’t always that bad,” he answered softly, looking up at Dean. The man seemed to consider his answer before nodding and taking a drink in agreement.  
  
“Yeah, you’re right about that.”  
  
“So, Sam and Gabriel, huh?” Castiel said, changing the subject. The beer was starting to do his job and he felt a little less tightly strung.  
  
“Sam and Gabriel,” Dean said, nodding. He finished his beer, ordering two more. Castiel thanked Dean before finishing off his second beer.  
  
“They aren’t official yet but… Well, I wish Sam all the luck in the world,” Castiel answered, opening his beer bottle. Dean laughed at that, nodding.  
  
“Gabe does seem a little… Energetic.”  
  
“He’s a pain. But I guess most brothers are. Do you have any other siblings, other than Sam?”  
  
Dean took a sip of his beer, turning his full attention to Castiel. Castiel smiled at him and took a small sip of his beer.  
  
“Nope, just Sammy. Whatta ‘bout you, Cas? Any other brothers and sisters?”  
  
“Yes. Six, to be exact. There’s Lucifer, Michael, Raphael, Gabriel, Anna, and Samandriel. All of them, other than Samandriel, are older than me.”  
  
“Wow. Talk about a full house,” Dean said, eyes wide as he whistled. Castiel laughed, shaking his head softly.  
  
“Yes, it was tedious trying to get into the bathroom before school,” Castiel answered. Dean started laughing and Castiel couldn’t help but giggle. Dean looked at Cas, a different look in his eyes. “What? Is there something on my face?”  
  
Dean shook his head softly. “No.”  
  
Castiel took in a shaky breath before taking another drink of his beer. For the next hour or so, they talked about any and everything that they could think of. They talked about their parents, Dean’s whom had both perished and Castiel’s father who had been reduced to being an alcoholic after his mother left him. They talked about their jobs; Dean worked at his Uncle’s machine shop, Singer’s Auto, while Castiel talked a little more about Heaven’s Gate. They talked about little Mary Ellen and past partners. Soon, they were both a little drunk and Castiel stood up, grinning from ear to ear.  
  
“Come dance with me?” he asked Dean, who shook his head, laughing.  
  
“C’mon, Cas. You don’t wanna see me dancing,” Dean said, his words slurring together slightly. Castiel tugged at Dean’s jacket and whined.  
  
“No, you c’mon. I want to dance with you,” Cas said, sticking out his lower lip.  
  
“Why?” Dean asked, adjusting his leather jacket over his white t-shirt. He wasn’t as drunk as Cas, or, if he was, he was handling it better than the other man was.  
  
“Because. You’re hot.”  
  
Dean seemed to contemplate what Cas had said before taking his hand, leading him to the dancefloor. Castiel only grinned stupidly. He wasn’t that good at dancing when he was sober but when he was drunk? That was a different story. When he was drunk he was Madonna. No, better yet, he was Donna Sheridan. He was the Dancing Queen, young and sweet, only… Twenty-seven. Still, Dean seemed to enjoy Castiel’s energy and Castiel grinned back at him.  
  
Castiel wasn’t sure which was more fun: Dancing with Dean or just dancing in general. It had been a while since he had actually had fun and let go and it felt nice to just dance it all out. He looked over at Dean and grinned at him, starting to do the running man. Dean made a face, like he had expected some other type of dancing, which, he probably had. Still, Castiel was having too much fun to care. Castiel’s happiness seemed to be contagious because soon Dean was dancing along with Castiel, both of them looking like idiots. Castiel could practically hear Gabriel insist to Sam that they weren’t related.  
  
Castiel’s energy soon started to fade, his body reminding him that he wasn’t actually seventeen. He walked over to Dean, his breathing a little heavy. Dean stared down at him and Castiel took a deep breath, blue eyes meeting green.  
  
“We should go somewhere,” Castiel commented, moving closer to Dean. He leaned up, attempting to connect their kiss and fall for the man. But two fingers found their way to Castiel’s lips and Castiel’s eyes flicked open with a look of hurt and confusion. “What… ?”  
  
“Cas, you’re drunk. Fuck, I’m drunk too. We can’t- I have a little girl. I can’t just sleep around, yano?” Dean mumbled, staring at Castiel. Castiel looked back up, deciding not to give up that easily. Dean couldn’t be serious, right?  
  
“Dean, c’mon. You have no idea how much I’ve been thinking about you. I think about you all the time. I think about you when ‘m working and when I’m doin’... Other stuff. You know,” Castiel murmured, moving Dean’s fingers. “Just kiss me. I know you wanna.”  
  
Dean shook his head, looking around. “Doesn’t matter, Cas. It’s not fair to either of us. If we do this, we’re both gonna hate ourselves for it.”  
  
Castiel whined, furrowing his brows. “Wait… You don’t wanna kiss me, do you? You don’t like me like that. You don’t-”  
  
“I don’t know how I feel, Cas! All I know is you look so good tonight and I can’t do this right now, okay? Just… Please. I know I sound like a dick, but this is for the best and I think you really know that.”  
  
Castiel seemed to consider this, taking a deep breath. He had been fixated with the man and it was strange not having his fantasy go as planned. Yet, for some reason, it was better. Because he knew that Dean was looking out for him and in the end, he was probably right about the whole sleeping together situation. Cas took a deep breath before opening his mouth once more.  
  
“Fine. But.. You promise you’ll kiss me one day?”  
  
“Cas-”  
  
“Please?”  
  
“Fine.”  
  
“Mhm, thank you, Dean. I think I want to go home now.”

                                                                               ____________________________________________________

 

Castiel was fairly sure at this point that it was possible (And probable in his case) that human heads could actually explode from pain. He sat up, rubbing the back of his neck as he rolled out of his bed. Winnie, his calico, meowed at his feet, ready to be fed. She looked pissed. Probably because it was nearly twelve o’clock and she hadn’t been fed at all. He sighed, finding his way to his feet. He couldn’t really remember what had happened the previous night, but because of the familiar setting and abundance of clothes he still had on, he figured not so much. He padded through the apartment in his slippers, trudging into the kitchen. He sighed, feeding Winnie before something on the table caught his eye. It was a note.

 **Hey, Cas. It’s Dean. Long story short, we both got shitfaced. Before you freak out wondering, no, we didn’t do the horizontal mambo. I did spend the night though and make a couple promises I’m guessing you’re going to hold me to. Maybe we could go out again, but this time do it soberly? If that seems like something you’d wanna do, just text me, okay? 309-335-5588.**  
 **Oh, and Cas?**  
 **I meant what I said last night, by the way.**  
 **Drunkenly yours,**  
 **Dean Winchester.**  
  
What the hell Dean had said Castiel wasn’t sure, but he held to the paper like it was his one lifeline.


	3. Just Like the Lions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, babies! Okay, so I think I am going to move my updating day to Monday's. I feel like it gives me more time to actually sit down and write. For some reason, I am awesome at being productive on Mondays, seeing as I've written this entire chapter today XD. But, nevertheless, here is the new chapter. Now, I want you to know that I am really trying to make this story realistic, but I'm a romantic and a poet by heart. 
> 
> So if things seem to be moving too slowly or too fast, let me know. I don't want things to go at sonic speed but I also don't want you guys wondering if this is actually a love story or not. 
> 
> I love you all and thank you for all of your reads. It means a lot. 
> 
> Speaking of hits and such, this bad boy has almost two hundred and seventy hits, which is almost three hundred hits which is INCREDIBLE. It's amazing! So thank you for that. 
> 
> Alright, alright, I'm leaving. You don't have to ask me twice.  
> \- Gabby.

_Hey. -CN_

Castiel took a deep breath.  It was just one word, but for some reason he felt like the text had the power to change the world.  

Calm down, Cas.  It’s just a guy.  

A hot, kind, charismatic guy who was so far out of Castiel’s league that it was ridiculous.  

Castiel jumped up when his phone buzzed, turning it over on the table as he saw the text I.D.  Dean.  

_Hey, stranger.  DW_

Cas smiled widely at his phone as if it was going to smile back at him.  He sent a quick reply back before standing up and stretching.  Business in the shop had been pretty good since the grand opening; His favorite customers (And regulars, it seemed) were a redhead named Charlie and an old man named Rufus.  Charlie was a girl who went to Kansas University, having moved to Kansas to be with her girlfriend, Dorothy.  She loved everything from Lord of the Rings to Pokemon and she was incredibly witty.  Castiel and Charlie had quickly hit it off and they soon began talking regularly.  Rufus was quite the opposite of Charlie.  He was a man in his late fifties and he was sour.  Castiel had gotten him to open up a little when he had asked him about the book he was buying (Homer’s The Iliad) and the two had an hour long conversation about epic poetry.  

Heading to the bathroom, Castiel stripped out of his t-shirt, grinning and bringing his phone along with him.  

_So, what’re you doing? DW_

_Just getting in the shower.  CN_

Cas started the water, waiting for it to heat up before getting up.  He stripped out of the rest of his clothes, looking at himself in the mirror.  He looked… Better than usual.  There weren’t any dark circles under his eyes like there usually were and his eyes seemed to shine a bit brighter than usual.  Castiel had always worried.  Worried about his parents marriage, worried about his siblings, worried about how his shop was going to do.  But now, all he cared about was talking to Dean again.  And that felt pretty good.  He started singing quietly, washing his hair.  He heard his doorbell ring and he quickly washed his body before jumping out of the shower.  He threw a towel around his waist before making his way to the door.  He opened it to see two familiar faces.  

“Dean!  Hi, Mary.  Uh, I guess I should uh… I’ll be right back,” Cas mumbled, stumbling back into his apartment.  No sooner had he gotten into his apartment he realized that he had left the two out on his doorstep.  He rushed back over to the door, opening it and putting on his best fake smile.  “God, sorry.  You two can come in.”  

Mary raised a little blonde brow, her eyes looking over at her dad.  “Daddy…? Why is Mr. Cas naked?”

Castiel’s cheeks flushed and Dean shook his head softly, laughing.  “He just got out of the shower.  He’ll go put some clothes on, babe.”   
Clothes.  Right.  

He rushed into his room, closing the door behind him and letting out a breath.  That was not how he planned on his morning going.  Sure, he was happy to see the little girl and her father, but he hadn’t really planned on greeting them naked.  He walked to the his closet, throwing on a bee sweater and a pair of pants before searching frantically for his glasses.  He’d left those in the bathroom.  He walked into his bathroom before looking around.  Not there.  Kitchen?  He made his way into the living room, Dean grinning at him.  Or at least Cas assumed it was a grin.  It was a little fuzzy without his glasses.  He walked into the kitchen before grabbing them and pushing them up onto his face.  Finally ready for the day, he walked into the living room and looked at the two.  

“Can I interest you in anything to drink?” Cas asked, blowing out a breath through his lips.  That had been a disaster.  

“Do you ‘ave chocolate milk?” Mary asked, giving him a grin identical to her father’s.  

“I can make some for you if you’d like,” Castiel said, focusing on her and smiling softly.  She nodded her head before looking at her dad.  

“Do you wanna have some chocolate milk, too, Daddy?”

“I’m okay, Mary.  Don’t forget what we came here to ask Mr. Cas to do,” Dean reminded her, the little girl’s face lighting up.  He looked between them before humming in thought.  

“Oh, YEAH!  Mr. Cas, you wanna come to the zoo with us?”

Castiel could swear that his heart skipped a beat.  He nodded his head before his brain remembered that he did have a voice and it was probably a good idea to use it.  “Yes, of course, Mary.  That would be lovely.”

“Yay!”

“I’ll be right back with your chocolate milk, okay?” Castiel mumbled before escaping into the kitchen.  He wasn’t sure which was better;  The little girl asking him to come, or knowing that Dean wanted him to go.  He poured her a glass of milk before stirring in the chocolate and giving it to her.  “When I was younger, I had to make chocolate milk for Samandriel all the time.  He loved it.”  

Mary grinned and took a drink before humming happily.  “This is really good.  Are you a professional?”

Castiel laughed before shaking his head.  “No, but I am happy that you enjoy it.”

“Okay, kids, if we wanna to go get lunch afterwards, we should probably get going,” Dean said, standing up.  Castiel nodded.  

“I’ll be one second.  I just need to grab some money-”

“No way, Jose.  I’m pretty sure the point of these things are for the guy asking to pay.”

“Dean…” Castiel was pretty sure he was dreaming.  If Cas had read that right, Dean had just said that they were going on a date.  Castiel smiled before shaking his head.  “Fine.  But at least let me bring some money for lunch.”   
“Nope.  Not allowed, sorry,” Dean mumbled before smiling at Cas.  Cas pursed his lips but eventually agreed, following the others out of his apartment before shutting the door and locking it.  Mary ran ahead of them, walking on the edge of the sidewalks.  Castiel turned to look at Dean, who looked incredible.  Though, Dean looked incredible all the time.  He was wearing a grey sweater, which fit him perfectly.  It wasn’t big like most of Castiel’s and it seemed to follow the curve of each of his muscles.  He was always wearing a pair of nice blue jeans and a pair of black and white converse.  It took Cas a minute to properly be able to form words again and he opened his mouth before turning to Dean.  

“So… Uh.. The zoo?”

“I should tell you, it was Mary’s idea to invite you.  I happen to think that it was an excellent idea.”    
“Yeah, it was a pretty good idea.  I see she’s not wearing a princess dress today.  I like it… It’s…”

“She said she was dressing like Uncle Sammy,” Dean said, laughing.  The little girl had leggings on paired with a flannel that was more like a dress.  She had a beanie on over her blonde curls.  She looked adorable and Cas laughed, looking over at Dean.  

“Sam wears leggings?”   
“No, but he does do yoga so he wears those spandex pants.”

“Yoga, huh?  Is that something you’re interested in too?”

“Oh, sweetheart.  I don’t do shorts.”

Castiel shook his head.  “There’s no way you ‘can’t do shorts.’”

“Sure there is,” Dean said, watching Mary with a close eye.  He turned back to Cas and looked at him.  

“What about swimming trunks?” Castiel challenged, staring at Dean before raising a single eyebrow.  

“I wear speedos,” Dean said, jokingly.  Castiel started laughing hysterically, doubling over.  “What?  What’s so funny?”   
“Nothing.  Just imaging you in a speedo, that’s all,” Cas mumbled softly.  “It’s quite comical.”

Dean’s facial expression softened;  It was the same kind of soft that it had been that night at the bar and Castiel’s heart skipped a beat.  He swallowed and the two walked in silence.  Castiel couldn’t help but wonder what the taller man was thinking, but he himself had so many thoughts all flying around in his mind.  He was scared, scared that this was going to turn out bad.  He knew that that fear would always be there, no matter where this went, but he wished it wasn’t.  It had stopped him from committing to so many things before.  He was also happy.  He was happy that little Mary Ellen had thought that he would be a great addition to their trip to the zoo and he was happy that Dean had thought that had been a great idea too.  

Castiel could read himself.  He’d lived in his own head for all of his life.  But, Dean?  Dean was like an unwritten story;  Only thoughts that didn’t really add up to anything quite yet.  Castiel knew he would get there, but for the time being he was completely lost.  He sighed softly, enjoying the quiet.  It was… Nice.  It wasn’t uncomfortable like the silence he felt when around Michael and Raphael and it also wasn’t empty, like the silence he felt with his father.  It was… An agreement.  An agreement to enjoy each others’ company without feeling the pressure to talk and Castiel could only think about how amazing that really was.  

Mary Ellen turned to look at them, giggling softly.  Dean looked at her and made a funny face, which made the little girl laugh even harder.  She ran back over to them before practically leaping into her father’s arms.  He caught her without batting an eyelash.  Cas could imagine that this had happened many times before and he smiled at the thought.  Mary looked over at Cas and his sweater and for a second, Castiel almost felt self-conscious under the eyes of a four year old.

“I like your sweater, Mr. Cas,” Mary said, looking all over it.  “Bees are a ‘lil scary, but they’re cute.”

Castiel laughed.  “I don’t think they’re scary.  I find them soothing.”  

“And Daddy finds them a nuisance,” Dean chimed in and Castiel frowned over at him.  

“They actually won’t harm you, Dean.  That is, if you don’t patronize them,” Castiel responded before looking at Mary Ellen.  “I wouldn’t be scared of them, little one.  They won’t hurt you unless you try and hurt them, which even then, they usually don’t sting you.”

“You know a lotta ‘bout bees,” Mary commented, eyes wide.  Castiel grinned.  

“Yes, well, I enjoy animals and insects.  What do you like?”

“I like princesses.  And Batman and cars.  I like Daddy’s car the best,” Mary said, beaming.  

Dean’s car.  

                                                                 _______________________________________________

 

_“Dean, I’m pretty sure that I can just get a ride home with someone else, you know,” Castiel mumbled, sliding into the passenger side of the Impala.  He was still a little pissed that Dean hadn’t kissed him.  He huffed, crossing his arms over his chest before staring ahead at the road._

_“I’m not just going to let you hitch a ride with some stranger,” Dean said before shutting the driver’s door.  He pursed his lips and looked over at Cas.  “C’mon, don’t act like that.  You know why I can’t, Cas.”_   
_Castiel let out an exasperated breath while continuing to stare ahead.  He really didn’t want to have this conversation again.  Even if Dean had had his reasons, it still didn’t mean that it pissed him off any less.  This was supposed to be his night;  And now, the guy he had literally gone all Sandy Olsson for didn’t even want him.  It was shaping up to be a pretty shitty night and Castiel almost wished that he had stayed at home._

_“Cas… Please.  I like you, okay.  And I want to, I really, really do but-”_

_“You have your reasons why you can’t.  I get it, Dean.  Really.  You don’t need to keep reminding me,” Cas turned away from him, scowling.  Dean paused before starting the car, a quiet hum filling the air.  He was glad he was going home but he hated the thought of the ride back to his house._

_The car was silent for most of the ride back.  Castiel couldn’t count the number of times he had wished Dean was going to say something, anything, but the man never uttered a word, and Cas had begun to think that maybe this whole thing was useless.  Dean was way out of his league anyway.  He had never stood a chance against the other man._

_When they got to the shop, Dean parked the car before turning to Cas._

_“Cas… I know, you don’t want me to explain myself to you.  But really.  I think you don’t realize how much I really want this.  Don’t think I haven’t been thinking about you after the first time we met.  Because I have.  I’ll be honest, you’re hot and good with Mary and you’re kind.  I’ve… God, I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about you,” Dean mumbled.  “But my daughter comes first.  She comes before me.  You gotta understand that, okay?”_

_Castiel’s face softened.  He knew how much Dean loved Mary.  God, he had been so selfish.  The whole time he had been thinking about himself instead of how Dean felt.  Here Dean was, being completely and honestly open with Cas and the only thing he could do was pout because he had wanted to sleep with him.  He put his hand on his shoulder and nodded._

_“Yeah.  Yeah, you’re right.  I’m really sorry, Dean.  I’ve been so selfish and I-”_

_“Hey, it’s fine, Cas.  I understand.  If we were in reversed situations… Well, I’d have you in bed already,” Dean said, smirking at the other.  Castiel grinned back at him before unbuckling.  He bit his lip as he contemplated what he was going to say next before finally opening his mouth._

_“Hey, Dean?”_   
_“Yeah, Cas?”_   
_“It’s late and you’ve been drinking- We’ve been drinking- Do you want to just stay here tonight?  No sex, I promise.  I just don’t really want you driving while you’re under the influence,” Cas said, looking up at Dean.  Just as he said that, it started to rain and Dean looked at him and chuckled._

_“Yeah, well, I guess the weather doesn’t want me to go.  But I have to leave early tomorrow,” Dean said softly before getting out of the Impala and locking it up._

_The rest of the night had been spent in Castiel’s bed.  As soon as they had gotten up to Castiel’s apartment and inside (It had taken Cas at least three tries to actually get the key in the whole), they had stripped down to just their underwear before climbing into Castiel’s bed.  In movies and books this is usually where they would announce their undying love for each other and then have passionate, steamy sex to warm each other up.  But this wasn’t a book, or a movie, or a tv show.  This was real life.  So in reality, they laid there, taking comfort in knowing that the other was laying beside them._

_And that was okay with Cas._

_And it was certainly okay with Dean._

                                                               ______________________________________________

 

Castiel nodded, realizing he had zoned out.  “Oh, yes.  I see.  It’s a ‘67, right?”

Dean looked a little surprised, raising an eyebrow at Cas as he stared back at him.  “You remember?” Dean asked, pulling a face.  Cas laughed a little before nodding.  

“Yeah, I do.  Surprisingly.” 

“Uh, yeah.  We were a little hammered.”

“I don’t think ‘a little’ qualifies for how drunk we were, Dean.”

“What does ‘hammered’ mean?” Mary asked, looking at Dean.  Dean shook his head, eyes going wide.  

“Don’t worry about it, babe.  It’s a grown-up word.”  

“I’m a grown up.”

“Hardly,” Cas said, laughing.

The rest of the walk to the zoo was nice.  Castiel told them all about his favorite animals (He happened to like sharks;  Dean enjoyed squirrels while Mary Ellen loved dogs) and Mary told them all about the book that Dean was reading her.  Castiel listened happily.  He had always enjoyed when children got enthusiastic about books, but it was amazing seeing a child as young as Mary get excited about something that was so above her years.  Dean told them how his work was at the salvage yard and he even talked to Cas about his favorite type of deserts, since Cas had brought up Gabriel’s baking.  

Castiel felt comfortable with the two of them and he fit in so easily.  They had soon arrived at the zoo and Castiel wished they still had more time to talk.  He enjoyed watching Mary’s green eyes lit up everything she talked about something she liked, and he also enjoyed watching the way Dean’s did the same every time Mary started talking.  Dean paid for them to get into the zoo and the woman smiled at them, focusing most of her attention on Dean.  Dean only smiled before leading the three of them into the zoo.  The first animals they went to see were the lions and Castiel grinned widely.  

“Did you know how lions greet each other?  The male will rub up against the female, kind of like how cats rub against our legs.  It leaves a scent on them so other lions know that she’s his,” Cas said, looking at Mary before glancing up at Dean.  

“We don’t have a cat.  Daddy’s allergic to them,” Mary informed Cas before grinning.  “Is Daddy gonna leave a scent on you?”

Castiel blushed softly before shaking his head.  “I don’t think so, little one.  What do you want to go look at next?”    
Dean didn’t say anything, but he glanced over at Castiel, like he was thinking about what he wanted to say.  Castiel only followed the little girl, who had taken his hand by this time.  He followed her to the giraffes next, spouting off useless information about each animal they visited.  Soon the little girl was asleep in her father’s arms and Castiel couldn’t help but wish he could take a picture of them together so he could keep it.  

“I would say we could go out to eat, but I really don’t want to wake her up,” Dean said softly.  It was almost an apologetic comment.  Almost.  

“It’s alright.  We could go back to my place and eat?  She can sleep in my bed and we can just catch up,” Cas suggested, smiling at the sight of Mary.  Dean thought about it for a second before nodding.  

“Yeah, sounds good, Cas.”

They headed back to Castiel’s house and soon they were seated on the couch, Mary Ellen sleeping in Castiel’s bed.  Cas had made them tomato soup and grilled cheese and Dean hummed, taking a sip of his milk.  

“This is good, Cas.  My mom used to make tomato and rice soup and let me tell you, it was the best soup I had ever had,” Dean said, grinning softly before looking up at Castiel.  He finished his bowl of soup before Cas grinned.  

“Yeah, well, growing up without a mom around was a little difficult.  I learned to make things for Samandriel and everyone else.  And tomato soup just happened to be popular around my house,” Cas said, smiling at Dean before pushing his bowl of soup away.  Dean stood up, picking up the bowl of soup before walking into the kitchen.  As he walked by Cas, he shoved his shoulder gently and Castiel watched him walk away.  

**Just like the lions did.**


	4. Band of Brothers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, babies! 
> 
> I'm back with another chapter. I honestly can't believe that this story has gotten almost three hundred hits. That may not seem like a lot on a grand scale, but to me that number means everything. Writing is my passion and Supernatural is the love of my life, so knowing that you all like both of those things makes me want to jump for joy. So, without further ado, here's this week's chapter.

“So, how was your little date?”

Castiel looked up from where he had been staring.  His brother looked at him expectantly and he stared at his face, trying to decide what he had said.  Gabriel groaned before shaking his head.  

“God, you have it worse then a seventeen year old girl,” Gabriel said, popping a lollipop into his mouth.  Castiel shrugged nonchalantly and waited for Gabriel to repeat his question.  Gabriel rolled his eyes before asking again.  “I was wondering how your date went, though I would guess good considering you’re practically doodling hearts all over your notebook with your guys’ initials in them.”

Castiel puckered his lips as if he had sucked on a lemon.  “Date?  How did you find out about-”   
“Did you forget, Cas?  I have connections with the Winchesters,” Gabriel said, smiling smugly before staring back at Cas.  “Even if, he told me I wasn’t really supposed to talk to you about it, because Sam’s afraid the ‘d’ word will scare you off.  Dean is too.”

“I’m not scared of dating, Gabriel.”

“Don’t lie to me, little brother.  I know you better than you know yourself sometimes.  And I’m certainly not stupid.  I get it.  Really, Cas.  People are stupid and I know that ever since Meg… You’ve been cautious.  But I don’t think that Meg is any reason not to see Dean,” Gabriel said softly.  

Castiel shook his head, standing up and pacing.  “I’m not doing this right now, Gabe.  Tell me about you and Sam.”

“Cas-”

“No.  I don’t want to talk about her.”   
Her.  The first person Cas had ever felt close to.  They had grown up together and learned and loved.  She had never been sweet;  No, she was anything but.  She was hell on wheels, but for some reason, her little bit of heaven had been Castiel.  And hell, Cas had liked the chase and the trouble she had brought with her.  When she… Castiel didn’t like to think of it.  He knew that if she saw how he was acting now that she would probably kick his ass, but he couldn’t bring himself to change.  

It was still too soon.  

This was moving too fast.  Cas was sure of that.  

Though, everything with her had moved fast.  But then again, he wasn’t her.  

Maybe that was better?  Cas wasn’t sure and his head hurt from all of thoughts being shouted out in his brain.  

“Sam and I?” Gabriel asked, obviously trying to bring Castiel back from where ever he had gone.  Castiel wished he could thank him for the action, but he knew that it was best not to talk about.  The brothers, though close, knew when they had hit each other’s limits and some things they just didn’t talk about.  

“No, I was talking to that chair over that,” Castiel mumbled.  “Sorry.  Yes, you and Sam.  How are you?”

Gabriel smiled.  There was something incredible about that smile;  Gabriel always smiled, but this was a genuine smile.  It was soft and Gabriel’s lips curved in at the corners as his face completely contorted into a different shape.  Castiel had seen that smile a couple times in his life.  The first time was when he was younger and Gabriel had taught him to ride his bike.  Their mother had been gardening and their father had been working on his writing.  The boys had been practicing all day.  

                                                                         _________________________________________

_“I can’t do it, Gabe,” Castiel whined.  He pushed the bike over, sitting down on the grass.  He looked down at it, tugging at the weeds that surrounded him._

_“C’mon, Cassie.  Don’t give up just yet,” Gabe said, looking down at him and smiling.  Castiel looked back up at him and pouted before staring back at the ground.  Gabriel’s smile disappeared and he sat on the ground beside Castiel, shoving his shoulder lightly.  “I know, I know.  It’s hard and you’re only six and it seems like it’s impossible.  But you can trust me, Cassie.  I’m nine and let me tell ‘ya, it gets a lot harder.”_   
_“It does?”_

_“Yeah.  The older you get, the more you gotta deal with.  Like, girls and homework and soccer practice.  ‘Ya never catch a break kid.”_   
_Castiel crinkled his nose as he stared at his brother.  “Girls?”_

_“Lots of them.  They try to kiss ‘ya, which will give you cooties.”_

_“Homework?”_

_“Multiplication tables.”_

_“I don’t wanna be a nine year old.  I don’t-”_   
_Castiel started crying, tears slipping out of his eyes.  Gabriel’s face softened immediately, the smug smile now gone.  He patted Castiel’s shoulder before smiling once more._   
_“Hey, it’s okay, Cas.  Because I know you can do it!  Just like I know you can ride your bike.  C’mon.  Can we try one more time?” Gabriel asked, looking at Cas and raising his eyebrows.  Castiel wiped his eyes before standing up.  He nodded softly, little hands going to wipe off his jeans.  Gabriel grinned.  “That’s my little brother.  Ready?”_

_It took them three more tries, but eventually Castiel was pedaling by himself, riding a few feet in front of Gabriel._

_“Cas!  You did it!  You did it!”_

_Castiel grinned and stopped himself with his feet, climbing off of his bike and running over to his big brother.  He hugged him tightly, Gabriel’s lips curving up into a smile.  He ran a hand through Castiel’s hair before his regularly cheeky grin returned.  But Cas didn’t forget the smile he had seen.  Not for a second._

_“Now how about some ice cream?”_

                                                                         ______________________________________

“Cas?  Are you listening?”

“Hm?  Yeah, sorry about that, Gabe.  I was just thinking about something,” Castiel mumbled softly before turning back to his brother.  He shook his head before putting on a weak smile.  

“I was… It’s not a big deal, Cas.  You just.. You seem out of it,” Gabe said, his face changing.  Castiel instantly felt bad.  Gabe had been so excited to tell his brother about the Winchester boy and Castiel couldn’t even stand to listen.  Not that he wasn’t happy for his brother, he was just out of it, like his brother had said.  

“Go on, Gabe.  I would like to know,” Cas said, before smiling.  At least this smile was believable.  Gabriel looked at him, like he was trying to read him and uncover all the thoughts in his head.  Castiel didn’t even blink and Gabe waited a minute before starting to talk.  

“Sam’s great.  He’s more than great, actually.  He’s sweet and hot and tall and did I mention hot?”  

Castiel laughed before nodding.  “Yes, I think you said a thing or two about him being hot.”  

“Oh, well, that’s because he is,” Gabriel said, grinning widely.  He ran a hand through his honey colored hair before pulling his Asia t-shirt down.  “He’s a little younger than you but what he lacks in experience he makes up in-”

“Gabe.  I do care about your love life and I am happy that you and Sam are doing well, but I do not need to know what you do behind closed doors,” Cas said, grimacing.  Gabriel grinned, eyes sparkling with mischief.  Castiel had seen that look plenty of times as well.   

                                                                       _____________________________________

_Castiel sat up in bed, lamp still shining bright in his room.  He had been reading for the past few hours, his eyes skimming across the pages like a rock skipping across a pond.  He ran his hand through his hair, taking his glasses off and pinching the bridge of his nose.  It was getting late and the sixteen year old had school in the morning, but he couldn’t force himself to put the book down.  He put his glasses back on before picking up the book and continuing to read._

_“... Act on your impulse, swallow the bottle, cut a little deeper, put the gun to your chest...”_

_Crash._

_Castiel sat up suddenly, looking towards the window.  He clutched his book to his chest.  Castiel hadn’t ever been the kind to be able to handle confrontation.  How was he supposed to handle a possibly burglary?  Castiel’s gaze didn’t fall away from the window and he stood up, slowly making his way towards the white-pane thing.  Suddenly, the window flew open and Gabriel stared at his brother, eyes wide._

_“Shit.”_

_Castiel narrowed his eyes before furrowing his brows._

_“Gabriel, what the hell-”_

_“Don’t you dare tell Mom and Dad.”_   
_Castiel hardly had time to think about what he was going to say yes before he noticed what was behind Gabriel._

_“Gabriel?”_

_“Yes?”_

_“Why is Darren Michaelson in our room?”_

_“You see… The thing is… I don’t really have a good answer to that one,” Gabriel said, pursing his lips and looking back at Darren.  Darren looked at Gabriel, eyes wide with what appeared to be fear._

_“Gabriel- I swear, he can’t tell anyone he saw us-”_

_“He’s not… He’s not going to tell anyone, D.  It’s Cas.  C’mon.”_

_“Oh, so you two are-”_

_“Not exactly, Cas,” Gabriel replied, that mischievous glint in his eyes that Castiel had been used to seeing at this point.  Castiel glanced between the two of them before nodding, understanding._

_“Oh.  So you two are simply having sex?”_

_Gabriel slapped his forehead as Darren’s face went pale, cheeks burning a bright red._

_“Gabe-”_

_“D, calm down.  Castiel’s a little awkward.  Let me take care of this,” Gabriel said, turning to his brother.  He straightened out his Motley Crue t-shirt before glancing at Darren.  He seemed to contemplate something before opening his mouth once more.  Gabriel had always been good at worming himself out of situations and Castiel was almost jealous at times.  He turned to Cas, raising his eyebrows.  “Cas.  Darren and I are about to have sex.  Unless you want to hear us, then I suggest you go sleep in the Michael’s old bedroom.”_

_Darren still seemed mortified, like he wasn’t sure he could believe what he was hearing come out of the others’ mouths.  Castiel looked between them once more before pursing his lips._

_“And why shouldn’t I tell Mom that you had someone here?”_

_“Because.  You know that you wouldn’t do that, considering you’re my best friend and best friends keep secrets.  Besides, Darren’s not gonna kill me.  I get telling them if I was involved in a cult and bringing other members to our room at night to perform a sacrifice, but I’m not.”_

_“Also,” Gabriel continued, turning to Darren.  “I gotta tell you, I was fairly sure he was going to be sleeping.  Usually he is.  I should have taken in account that he just got a new book.  Sorry.  I’ll be more thoughtful next time,” Gabriel finished.  Castiel sighed, rolling his eyes and grabbing his blanket and book before making his way to the next bedroom over._

_Despite what Gabriel said, Cas still heard them and consequently didn’t get any sleep that night.  Gabriel, however, looked as happy as ever the next morning while Castiel downed his third cup of coffee._

                                                                              ____________________________________

 

The two spent the rest of the afternoon talking about the two Winchester boys.  Castiel told Gabe all about their zoo date the other day and Gabe grinned before telling Cas about how Sam had taken him on a picnic.  He had also gotten a lot closer to Sam a lot more quickly than Cas had gotten to Dean, but neither of them talked about the reason behind that.  Instead, they laughed and ate french fries and talked about all the stuff it felt like they had forgotten to tell each other over the twenty-seven years they had known each other.  

The brothers had always been close.  There was never a time in his life that Castiel had felt like he couldn’t talk to Gabriel.  Even when the incident had happened, Castiel had talked to Gabriel about it.  They had eventually stopped bringing it up, which Castiel had been thankful for.

Castiel had grown up with only three of his siblings at home;  Anna, who, when he was sixteen, had turned nineteen and moved out to live with her best friend Hester down in Texas.  Now he only saw her at family reunions, which were few and far in between.  There had been Gabriel, who had only been two years older than him.  Gabriel and Castiel had formed a tight bond.  Not that all of the Novak children weren’t close (Well, everyone was close with everyone, except for Michael and Raphael).  Samandriel had been the youngest of the Novaks.  The baby.  He had only been fourteen when Castiel had graduated and Castiel had felt bad leaving him at home to care for their troubled father by himself.  Samandriel was the only Novak that wasn’t Castiel’s mother’s and when Chuck had introduced them all to him they had been slightly confused.  

After another hour of talking, Castiel left Gabriel’s apartment and headed for home.  Since his brother’s apartment wasn’t far from his shop, he had just walked there, and now the cold wind nipped at his nose and stung his cheeks as he walked.  He made it back to his apartment at a quarter ‘till seven and he walked inside quickly, deciding to take a hot shower.  This time, he had gotten out of the shower and into his Chewbacca footie pajamas when he heard someone knocking on his door.  He grumbled slightly to himself, making a mental note to get a space heater before the snow came that winter.  He swung the door open, face to face with the one and only Dean Winchester.  

“Dean.  Shit.”  

“Well, don’t you look cute?”

Castiel rolled his eyes before opening the door a little wider.  His cheeks were burning a bright red and he tried not to think about the fact that he was STANDING IN FRONT OF DEAN WINCHESTER IN A CHEWBACCA ONESIE.  Instead, he concentrated on Dean.  “Would you like to come in?”

Dean grinned, smiling.  “Yeah, that’d be nice.”

Castiel moved aside, the other man following him into the small apartment.  He stared at Dean, who was holding a basket.  Castiel tilted his head towards it.  

“What’s that?”  

“Well, Mary’s at Ellen’s house for the night so I thought that maybe we could have a movie night?” Dean asked, looking at Cas and smiling.  “I brought beer and all the Rocky movies.”

Cas couldn’t help but smile at that and he found his way onto the couch, sitting by Dean.  

“Yeah, that sounds really nice, Dean.”

Dean looked him up and down before pausing.  

“Seriously though, Chewbacca?”

“Shut up.”


	5. Trust

“So that’s the story of how Gabriel once snuck home with the quarterback, who happened to be the most popular guy in the school and the straightest,” Cas said, laughing as he took a sip of the beer that Dean had brought.  

“Wait, I thought you said this guy was straight?”  

“Mhm, he was supposed to be.  Though, Gabe has a good way of getting whoever the hell he wants in his bed in his bed.”

“Oh, yeah?”   
“Yeah.  One time, he had this girl over- Her name was Kali, I think- and I mean, this girl was gorgeous.  And it’s not that Gabe is bad looking, it’s just she was so far out of his league-”

Castiel stopped talking.  Dean’s head was tipped back and soft snores were escaping his lips as he slept peacefully.  Castiel only chuckled softly and stood up, grabbing a blanket and draping it over Dean quietly.  He watched the way the man’s chest rose up and down as he snored away on Castiel’s couch and the way he moved ever so slightly.  Castiel sat on the couch, watching the man quietly.  

There was something incredible about watching someone sleep.  

Castiel wouldn’t lie;  Having sex was something he had always taken pleasure in.  He would love to be able to explore every inch of Dean’s toned body, to discover every crevice and imperfection the man had.  He would love to kiss his lips and pull him close and just surrender to the feeling of absolute bliss that would come with being with him.  But the thing was, watching Dean like this- He was so vulnerable.  He looked serene and Castiel couldn’t help but think that he could do this forever.  

He also knew that it would probably be better if Dean didn’t wake up and see the other man staring at him.  

So Cas retired to watching television.  Old reruns of Star Trek: Voyager and Ink Master danced across his screen.  He couldn’t help but wonder if he would find himself in a similar position someday, Dean snoring by his side as he happily watched tv and waited for the other man to wake up.  He grinned at the thought, tipping his head back before looking over at Dean once more.  He smiled sweetly at him before closing his eyes, thoughts running through his head and tripping over each other like waves in the ocean.  

                                                                                           ________________________________________

 

When Cas woke up, he was slumped up against Dean, his head resting in his lap.  He yawned before looking up, noticing that Dean’s bright emerald eyes were staring down at him, his cheeks tinted pink.  Cas sat up, looking at Dean.  He knew for a fact that his hair was a mess and there was probably a mark on his cheek from where it had been resting on Dean’s crotch.  

Oh, shit.  His face had just been laying on Dean’s crotch.  

He could feel his cheeks heat up and he knew for a fact that he was darker than a tomato.  “I- I’m sorry, Dean..”

Dean cleared his throat, looking away before taking a deep breath.  He looked back at him, a smile spreading over his face.  

“It’s fine, Cas,” the man responded, though he didn’t sound so sure.  

“I guess I should’ve stayed awake… Or gone to my bed..”

“No, it’s… Fine, really.  I swear,” Dean replied, the pink tint disappearing just as quickly as it had been there.  He chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck.  “Sorry for falling asleep on you.  Having a four year old and working all day really takes a toll on my nights, yano?”

Castiel nodded.  “Yeah, Dean.  It’s fine, really.  I didn’t mind.”

“You didn’t?”   
Dean’s eyebrow was cocked, like he didn’t really believe what he was hearing.  Castiel thought it was funny to see the man making the face and he giggled softly.  Which, he didn’t do often.  He only giggled when he was drunk or when he was around a hot guy.  And he definitely hadn’t been drinking, so he guessed it was the latter.  

“No.  I mean, you’re tired.  And you’re not bothering me by sleeping.  In fact, I find it endearing.  It means you have to trust me at least a little, or else you wouldn’t feel comfortable falling asleep around me,” Cas responded, shrugging softly.  

“Well, I don’t know about that.  I can fall asleep about anywhere.”

Castiel laughed, shaking his head softly.  

“But you’re right.”   
Castiel looked up at him, furrowing his brows.  “About?”

“Me trusting you.”  

Castiel sucked in a deep breath, watching Dean.  He could swear that those gorgeous green eyes were getting closer, but he couldn’t be certain.  To make sure, he scooted closer to the man.  His heart was threatening to pound out of his chest, but he still advanced further, his face inches from Dean’s at this point.  If he wanted to, he could count each individual freckle on Dean’s face and he decided that it wasn’t exactly the worst view in the world.  Dean took a deep breath before opening his eyes and staring at Cas.  Cas could swear that he could see his future in those eyes and his breathing started quickening.  Dean leaned in, plump lips getting closer and closer to Cas’.  

All the movies and books always say that when you have your first kiss, you’re supposed to feel sparks fly.  They couldn’t be anymore fucking wrong.  

No, when Dean’s lips pressed against Castiel’s, everything slowed down.  He didn’t feel fireworks or sparks or anything close to that level of excitement.   Instead he felt safe, like Dean had just pulled him close and wrapped him up and whispered sweet nothings in his ear.  It was everything a kiss should have been and more, and Castiel made a point to do this more often.  

Dean was the first to pull away, his forest green eyes opening up slowly as he looked at Cas.  Castiel stared right back at him, not wanting to ruin the moment by talking.  Their first kiss had been chaste and sweet.  

Their second kiss, however, wasn’t as innocent.  

Dean may have been the first to pull away, but he was also the first to lean in again and Castiel happily obliged, pressing their lips together in a sloppy kiss.  Dean pulled Castiel closer, Cas almost resting in his lap at this point.  His hands cupped either side of Castiel’s face and he tilted his head, trying to get closer to the other man.  Castiel had forgotten what it had felt like to have someone this close to him and he decided that he enjoyed it.  He pulled away after a minute, staring at Dean.  

Blue stared at green and for a minute, and Cas swore the Earth had stopped turning.  

But then Dean was looking down, like he was embarrassed and Castiel felt so exposed.  He swallowed before moving off of Dean’s lap and leaning back against the couch, face flushed and lips swollen.  Castiel could almost see the regret on Dean’s face and he stood up because honestly, he couldn’t deal with rejection from the other man at the moment.  

“Where are you going?” Dean asked suddenly, like he had just gotten a grip on the world again.  Castiel narrowed his eyes, fairly certain that Dean was either trying to make up for the look of embarrassment or he had really just not paid attention to Castiel at all.    
“Maybe you could come over some other time, yeah?  I’m kinda tired and I think you should go,” Cas replied, his throat tight all of a sudden.  

“I thought-”   
“We’re both adults, Dean.  If you didn’t want to kiss me you could have just said so,” Castiel mumbled, walking past him to his room.  He knew it wasn’t right to hide from Dean but that had hurt like a bitch and he really wasn’t sure if he could face him anymore.  He laid back onto the bed and stared up at the ceiling, watching the fan as it circled around.  Once.  Twice.  

Knock.  

Castiel sat up but didn’t go to the door, watching as Dean stepped into his bedroom.  He looked uncomfortable and out of his bounds and Castiel cringed at the thought that that was his fault.  Dean didn’t say anything but he moved his hand, placing it on top of Castiel’s hand.  Castiel almost pulled his hand away from Dean’s but he didn’t and when he looked up at Dean his eyes were on him once more.  

“Cas… I didn’t, that wasn’t towards you, okay?”

“Then who was it towards, Dean?  You looked as if you had been forced into an arranged marriage.”  

Dean laughed softly.  

“No.  I just couldn’t believe I was kissing a man, who, by the way, is incredibly attractive, who’s wearing a Chewbacca onesie,” Dean replied.  Castiel couldn’t help but laugh at that and Dean crawled up the bed, moving to straddle Castiel’s hips.  He pressed a soft kiss to right under Castiel’s ear and oh, God, Dean was kissing him, before mumbling.  “I prefered Han myself, but that’s probably because he was hot.”   
Castiel tipped his head to the side, allowing Dean to press kisses down his neck.  

“You know, you really shouldn’t talk about other guys while you’re making out with one,” Cas said, chuckling.  He pulled Dean closer to him, allowing himself to let a soft sound of pleasure slip out of his mouth because Dean’s lips were beautiful and wonderful against his neck and he needed more of the other man.  “Dean..”   
Dean pulled away, looking at him.  “Yeah, Cas?”

“That.. That feels amazing.  Though I feel like I need to bring up the fact that you have a daughter and I’m fairly sure you’re not supposed to be sleeping with me, remember?”   
“Yeah, you’re right.  But I’m not sleeping with you.  I’m just… Kissing you,” Dean mumbled, going back to kissing down his neck.  They stayed like this for a little while longer, pressed together and unable to keep their hands or lips off of each other.  Finally, Dean pulled away, lips swollen and pupils wide.  “We should do that more often.”    
Castiel only laughed and rolled his eyes because Dean was hilariously cute and he was nothing like the other man.  “Yes, that was very nice.  But it’s getting late, Dean, and you should probably get home so that you’ll be fully rested for Mary tomorrow.”   

Dean sat up before nodding, looking back at Cas and pressing a kiss to his lips.  

They made out for another ten minutes before Castiel finally pushed Dean away, the other man pouting.  “Dean, you need to go.  I love being with you, but you do need to get some sleep.”  

Castiel laid on the bed after Dean had left and stared up at the ceiling, his hand subconsciously moving to touch his neck.  

                                                                              _______________________________________

 

Castiel was beginning to think that maybe Dean Winchester was more than just a crush.  

He wasn’t really sure what they were but he knew they had skipped the entire ‘friend’ thing directly to… Well, whatever they were.  Dean came over frequently, mostly without Mary.  Cas had never questioned it, mostly because it wasn’t his place to.  Dean would come over and they would watch a movie or have dinner and talk about whatever they felt like talking about and makeout.  It was routine and it was comfortable.  

I’m heading out now.  I should be there soon.  DW

Castiel grinned to himself before sending an ‘okay’ and starting dinner.  He decided to make spaghetti, since it was a staple date night dish and honestly, Castiel wasn’t too good at making much else.  He stuck mostly to pastas and soups, though one time he had ventured out and managed to make a pretty delicious pecan pie.  He didn’t even bother changing; Dean didn’t mind what he wore.  He was currently wearing a pair of light grey sweatpants and a Doctor Who t-shirt.  He was sure he looked entirely underdressed, but he couldn’t find it in himself to care.  Dean was fantastic and he knew he wouldn’t say anything about he was dressed.  Besides, it was snowing outside and sweatpants went hand-in-hand with snow days.  He heard the door open and he smiled to himself, pouring the noodles into the pot of boiling water.  

“Hey, Dean,” Cas said, not turning around to face him.  He didn’t have to see him to know who it was.  

“Uh, hey, Cas.”

That was… Different.  

Cas turned around, eyes furrowed as he stared at the older Winchester brother.  He looked like he hadn’t gotten any sleep the night before, eyes dull and underlined with blue.  He was wearing an old AC/DC shirt, which wasn’t out of the ordinary.  Castiel tried to find something- Anything- else that could be the cause of the man’s weird manner.  

“Are you okay, Dean?” Cas asked softly, walking towards him.  

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Dean answered too quickly.  

Castiel didn’t blame him for one second, but he chose to drop it for now, not wanting to pressure the man into telling him anything he didn’t want to.  He smiled gently before walking up to Dean and standing on his toes to kiss the other man.  Dean turned his head and Castiel felt a stab of pain run through his body.  

“Oh?”   
“I’m sorry, Cas.  I’m, uh, not feeling too well.”

Lies.  

“Dean, what’s going on?” Castiel asked, putting both of his hands on his hips as he stared back at the other man.  He had grown up with siblings.  He could tell when someone was lying.  ‘I’m not feeling well?’  It would take a lot more than that to convince Castiel that that was the real reason Dean hadn’t kissed him.  

“Nothing,” Dean snapped back at him.  Castiel recoiled a little, narrowing his eyes at him.  

“Obviously it’s not nothing.  If you do not wish to tell, you can say so.  But don’t snap at me because I’m trying to be a nice person,” Castiel answered.  

“You know what?  I can’t do this right now,” Dean said, putting his hands up.  

Castiel was confused.  He definitely hadn’t said anything out of line.  Dean was being so dramatic and this was a side of him that Castiel had never witnessed.  Still, Castiel was angry.  He hadn’t done anything to Dean to deserve this treatment and he wasn’t going to stand for it.  He pursed his lips before staring Dean down, icy glance cold.  

“Well then maybe you should leave.”

“Maybe I will.”   
“That’s your choice, not mine.”

“Fine.”

“Fi-”

Dean’s lips had slammed against Castiel’s and Castiel could do nothing but let his own lips fit together with Dean’s like a puzzle piece.  He wrapped his arms around his neck and he tugged him closer and Dean pushed him against his refrigerator.  Dean’s hands rested on Castiel’s hips as they kissed, angry and messy and hot.  Dean’s lips left Castiel’s and started to move down his jaw, there making their way down to his neck.  Castiel caught his lips again, the kiss sloppy.  After a minute he pulled away from Dean, staring up at him.  

“Dean, what are you doing?”

Dean backed away from Cas, taking a deep breath and closing his eyes.  

“I… I don’t know.  You just looked so kissable and- I’m sorry, Cas.  The way I’m acting is ridiculous and you don’t deserve to deal with that.”   
“Dean, it’s.. Fine.  Really.  You’re just sending me some mixed signals here, you know?”

Dean nodded, laughing and shaking his head as one of his hands moved to rest on the back of his neck.  “I- Can we try this again?”

“Maybe you should go home, yeah?  We can try this again soon, I promise,” Cas answered.  Dean needed time to decide what he wanted and right now, Cas was a little scared.  They had been doing great, the two of them practically inseparable the past few weeks.  So why was Dean acting standoffish all of a sudden?  

Dean nodded before grabbing his jacket.  He pressed a soft kiss to Castiel’s lips before pulling away.  “I’ll see you soon, okay?  Sorry for being a major dick.”

“It’s fine.  Seriously.  Actually, scratch that.  It’s not fine, but I forgive you.  Now, get home.”

“Bye, Cas.”

“Goodnight, Dean.”

Castiel spent the rest of the night eating spaghetti on his couch and watching reruns of Doctor Who as he tried to process what had happened.  

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, so I'm sure you guys are you to talking to me first, but I thought that I would save the best for last(; 
> 
> I'm just kidding. I suck. 
> 
> Alright, so here is chapter five. I'm really sorry it's a day late, but right now it's final time and I am going to gouge my own eyes out if I have to write any more notes and take any more tests. I don't really know what I'm doing, so I'm sorry if the stories plot is... I don't know where I'm going with that statement. I just don't want to make this too boring and slow or too fast where you can't even get those nice relationship arc moments. That didn't make sense but that's how I feel. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter and like always, feel free to leave comments because honestly, I know some of you are reading and I'd really enjoy to hear from you. 
> 
> Alright, babbles. That's all for tonight. 
> 
> THANK YOU, YOU MAGNIFICENT BEASTS. 
> 
> -Gabby, Gabby Bo Babby, Banana Fanana Fo Fabby, Fee Fi Mo Mabby, Gabby.


	6. TTYL.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Honestly, I feel like these chapters just keep getting shittier and shittier. Still, here's chapter six.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so I'm really sorry that this chapter is short. I've hit a major writer's block, which really sucks because I love writing and I definitely love writing for you guys to read. With that being said... HOLY SHIT. I'm almost AT 500 HITS. Really, half of you are probably not really reading this, and you've just clicked on it and then realized how terrible it was and excited out of it. But thank you anyway, babies. 
> 
> HAVE A MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY HOLIDAYS. 
> 
> LOVE YA.

_ I’m sorry.  DW _

_ Dean, how many times are you going to say that? CN  _

_ As many times as I need to.  DW _

_ Well, you don’t need to say it anymore.  CN  _

_Cas… DW_ _  
__Dean, please.  It’s fine.  Now, would you like to come over?  I’m making lasagna for Gabriel and I.  Sam is coming, I think.  CN_ _  
___Cn’t.  Have Mary tonight.  Ellen couldn’t watch her for me.  DW

_Oh.  Well, maybe another time.  CN_ _  
___Definitely, Cas.  Ttyl.  DW

_ Yeah.  CN  _

Dean Winchester had definitely been sending mixed signals.  

Castiel contemplated what this meant as he cooked the meat for the lasagna, lips pursed as he pushed the hamburger around the pan.  Gabriel stared at him in interest, head resting on his hands as he if were a scientist in a lab that had just discovered a new species.  Cas, of course, didn’t notice because he was too busy wondering what was going through Dean’s head.  Sure, the other man had surely expressed some interest in him, what with all the kissing, but Dean seemed as distant as the ocean and Castiel couldn’t pin him down waves. 

“Hey, Cas?  You planning on turning off that meat anytime soon?  Or do you want it burnt?” 

“Shit,” Cas mumbled while moving the pan over to the other burner, turning off the stove before sighing.   He leaned against his oven, running a hand over his face.  

“You okay there, Cas?” 

“Yes, fine, Gabriel.  When did you say Sam was getting here, again?” 

“He should be here… Anytime now.”   
Castiel nodded before turning back to the stove.  He really needed to clear out his head, but currently all he could think about was Dean and his amazing green eyes and kissable lips.  And in the midst of thinking about how wonderful Dean was he couldn’t help but think about how he was drifting further and further away from him.  They hadn’t really seen each other in a while and when they did see each other, they spent most of their time watching a movie from a different ends of the couch.  Castiel wasn’t sure how they had gotten there and how they had gotten there so quickly.  Maybe that was the problem.  

He thought about this all the while he was finishing up the lasagna.  And he could still feel Gabriel’s stares on his back but he couldn’t bring himself to care because he was currently too concerned with his own mental state.  He was pretty sure he had gone crazy, considering he was overthinking everything and at the same time couldn’t think at all.  He poured everything into the glass pan before sprinkling cheese on top of it and sliding it into the oven. 

“Are you just going to continue to stare at the oven or are you going to tell me what’s wrong?” Gabriel asked, simultaneously staring at his phone and back at his brother.  Being close to his brother was something that Castiel would never complain about, but sometimes it sucked.  Because Gabriel could read him like a book, even with his eyes shut and Castiel knew there was no point in lying.  Still, he didn’t want to have to talk about how he felt because Gabriel would assure him that it was all fine and he would believe him.  But the truth was, it wasn’t all fine and that’s why he couldn’t tell Gabriel about how he was feeling.  

“Gabriel, I’m fine-” 

_ Knock, knock, knock.   _

He had never been more glad to hear that someone was at his door than he was now.  

He stood up, walking over to the door before Gabriel had the chance to.  He swung it open, thoroughly happy for the disruption.  Now he wouldn’t have to think as much with Sam there, since he was sure that he would try and make small talk while stealing looks from Gabriel.  It was textbook third-wheel dates and Cas was okay with that, as long as he didn’t have to think too hard about the other Winchester, who happened to turn down his invitation to eat with them.  Which, hadn’t really been his fault, considering he had been busy with Mary, but it still stung a little bit.  

“Sam, hello.  Come in.”  

“Hey, Cas,” Sam said, smiling at the Novak before looking around him and spotting Gabriel.  “Hey, Gabe.”   
Gabriel raised an eyebrow at him before walking over and snaking an arm around his waist.  He pressed a kiss to his lips before pulling and grinning.  “Hey, Samson.” 

Sam blushed and Castiel nearly threw up a little in his mouth, even though he was happy for his brother.  Gabriel didn’t have a lot of partners growing up.  Well, Castiel should really clarify something.  Gabriel had a lot of people he saw and a lot of one night stands, but none of those really led to anything.  Now here he was, face smashed against the Winchester’s and a huge smile lining his face.  Castiel had often thought that Gabriel would never settle down but looking at him now, it was clear he already had.  

“Mhm.”

“Right,” Sam answered, pulling away from Gabriel, his face still darkened from kissing the other man.  Gabriel stared at Castiel and narrowed his eyes just the slightest, as if he was challenging him.  Castiel caught his glance and stared back at him for a split second before pulling away finally.  He wouldn’t make Sam go through the torture of watching them have a staredown and he walked over to the store, starting to slice up bread.    
“So, I see you two are happy.  You’re official, right?” Castiel asked, looking up from where he was slicing the bread.  Gabriel looked over at Sam before looking back at his brother.  Castiel raised an eyebrow, straightening out his blue button up before going back to cutting up the loaf.   

“Yeah, you could say that.  I mean, you’re the only one who knows as of now,” Gabriel said.  Sam nodded softly before looking back over at Gabriel and shrugging softly.  

“Well, my uncle Bobby knows too.  But that’s because he caught us making out,” Sam said.  

“We wouldn’t have been caught if he would have just come home with me.  And then we would have gotten past second base,” Gabriel countered, smirking at that last part.  

“Guys.  Please.  I love that you’re open about your sex life, but I would appreciate it if you would spare me the details,” Castiel answered, grabbing the melted butter and brushing it over the sliced bread.  He sprinkled garlic powder over the slices before adding cheese and parsley, and sliding it into the oven.  

“Just because you don’t have one doesn’t mean that we have to be quiet about ours,” Gabriel retorted, sticking out his tongue at Cas.  

“Have I mentioned that you’re a child before?” 

“Many times, Cassie.  Doesn’t even bother me at this point.”    
Sam laughed, taking a seat beside Gabriel before looking over at Cas.  

“That all smells amazing, Cas.  Thank you for inviting me over,” Sam said, running a hand through his long brown hair.  

“Yeah, of course, Sam.  It’s no big deal.  I invited Dean over, but he said he was busy.”   
“Yeah, he had a date with some Anna chick tonight.  She’s a redhead, I think,” Sam responded before nodding.  

Castiel dropped the knife he was holding, his stomach finding its way down to his feet.  

Dean was on a date.  Dean was on a date even though he had told Castiel that he was busy with Mary tonight.  Castiel felt like he had been stabbed in the gut and he took a minute, staring straight ahead.  Suddenly it felt like it was hard to breathe and he couldn’t but lean against the island in his kitchen.  And then suddenly Castiel’s mind was reeling.  Because Sam had said that Dean was on a date with a redhead named Anna and he specifically remembered telling Dean about his sister.  

Things kept getting worst and Castiel was sure at this point that whatever deity was above had it out for him.  

“Cas, you okay?” Gabriel asked.  

But Castiel couldn’t hear him.  All Castiel could hear was all the times that Dean had told him he was gorgeous and all he could think about was the way his lips had felt against his neck.  How had Dean lied to him so easily?  Did he really mean that little to him that he could throw away what they could have had so simply as if they hadn’t ever connected at all?  

And Castiel was hurting and everything sucked because he wasn’t even sure why he was hurting.  They hadn’t even labeled themselves but he guessed at this point they weren’t going to be able to.  Because Castiel wasn’t sure he was going to be able to get over this.  Was Dean going to say the same thing to Anna?  Was he going to tell her how beautiful she was and kiss her angrily while pressing her against her fridge.  Would he whisper sweet nothings in her ears that meant nothing to him and everything to her.    
“Anna.  Gabriel, he’s going out with Anna.”   
Gabriel’s jaw dropped suddenly and Sam looked between the two of them, looking as confused as ever.  

“Wait, what’s going on, Gabe?” 

“Sam… Your brother is an asshole.”    
                                                                       _______________________________________________

The lasagna was bitter tasting in Castiel’s mouth and he felt like he had been cut in a million different places. 

“I just don’t understand why he would do something like this, you know?  I know that Dean’s a little weird when it comes to feelings, but I didn’t expect-”  
“Yeah, well, I’m going to kick his ass.” 

“Gabriel, you don’t need to-” Castiel started, trying to reason with his older brother. 

“I’m gonna kick his ass.  And there’s nothing you can tell me that will change that.” 

“Guys, c’mon.  How about instead of kicking his ass,” Sam said, turning to Gabriel and placing a soft hand on his shoulder and squeezing it.  Gabriel instantly calmed down a little, grumbling something under his breath.  “Or doing nothing about it, I talk to him.  See what’s going on inside his head.  Maybe there’s a reason he’s acting so strange, you know?” 

Castiel nodded.  That was reasonable enough.  And maybe he had judged the situation way too quickly.  Maybe Dean had had the date set up before he had invited him to dinner and he just hadn’t had the time to cancel it.  Or maybe he just wasn’t thinking.  

Or maybe he was completely conscious of what he was doing and just didn’t care. 

Castiel decided that thinking was a little too difficult and he retired early that night. 

                                                                                  ___________________________________________

_ Heya, Cas(: DW _

_ What?  Did you get bored of Anna?  CN  _

_ Wait, how did you… ? DW _

_ TTYL, Dean.  CN  _


End file.
